Flavius was being shot at by all the Servitors, Servo-skulls, and other machinery that had been integrated to serve as protection.
There was, however, only one small problem.
The machinery inside the laboratory, where the most important genetic material was stored, wasn't meant to defend against those who were inside it. The defensive measures were meant to keep people out of the room.
So the defensive capabilities and the weapons the Servitors and Servo-skulls used were small-calibre and weak las-weaponry.
Flavius was wearing a slim, blue carapace armour he had stolen from the barracks of the Planetary Governor's guards, along with a blue-and-black mask. The mask he had summoned and was using right now was that of Todd Rice, AKA Obsidian, from DC comics.
Obsidian is a notable member of the Justice Society of America, known for his unique powers centred around darkness manipulation. He has a special connection to the Shadowlands, a metaphysical realm of darkness that exists between other places.
One of his abilities is portal creation, allowing him to open gateways that traverse the Shadowlands, enabling quick travel over large distances.
In addition to this, Obsidian can project concentrated beams of dark energy, making him a formidable opponent in combat. He also has the capability of dimensional travel, acting as a living door to the Shadowlands.
His powers extend to flight, enabling him to soar through the air and carry others effortlessly. Furthermore, he can phase through solid objects, giving him an advantage in various situations.
One fascinating aspect of his abilities is molecular reconstruction, which allowed Flavius to transform his clothing into his current costume and back again at will. Using this power, Flavius transformed the carapace armour, altering its density and form to fit him and make it more powerful, offering greater protection.
It was a very good thing that he had remembered Obsidian, because his powers could allow Flavius to take shortcuts in creating weapons and technology in the future, even if his molecular reconstruction is not as powerful as other ridiculous characters'.
The projectiles and the las-beams phased through Flavius. Having had enough of this, he created a solid arrow made of darkness, which he sent through the air and which pierced a Servo-skull.
Servo-skulls were drone-like devices created from human skulls, typically those of devoted Imperial servants, low-ranking tech-adepts, or tech-priests who had unfinished work. These skulls were implanted with a rudimentary machine spirit, support systems, and an anti-gravity engine, enabling them to hover and drift through the air without a body.
They could also fight and fire weapons they had been given. But against the power Flavius wielded, it didn't matter.
He created a rope from shadows and caught a Servitor, using his increased strength to smash the human-machine amalgamation into the others and destroy the machinery that was attempting to kill him.
...
Finally, he turned around and looked at the object he was here for. The genetic material that would allow him to become something new and give himself some form of safety, even without using a mask all the time.
He was rather smart in choosing Obsidian's mask and his powers, as that allowed him to create a small portal directly to the heart and bypass all security measures. A moment later, he held the relatively large set of tanks in his hands. Just in time to hear the loud bangs and the arrival of someone he had wanted to meet.
With a flick of his wrist, he moved the gene material away as the doors were broken through and a large man in Power Armour stood before him, his bolter trained on him.
But not only that.
Flavius saw the white lightning in his eyes and felt the pressure of psychic energies.
This was Alpha Primus—the prototype of the Primaris Space Marines and the personal enforcer of Archmagos Belisarius Cawl.
Cawl originally created Primus in an attempt to replicate the process the Emperor used to create the Primarchs. He is the surviving result of an unsanctioned experiment. However, the process ultimately failed, and instead, Alpha Primus became the prototype for the Primaris Space Marines.
Primus was subjected to far more extensive modifications than most Space Marines, even exceeding those of the Primaris. He was essentially rewritten on a genetic level rather than merely receiving implants. This transformation granted him unparalleled psychic abilities among the Astartes and made him physically more powerful than the Primaris, though he still did not reach the level of a Primarch.
Several bolter rounds shot through the air, and monstrously powerful lightning burst out of Alpha Primus' hands at the same time.
Flavius had immediately tried to phase out and let the attacks pass through him, but when he felt the danger the man in front of him posed, the bolter shells passed through, while the psychic energy used in the lightning did not.
He slammed into the back wall, crashing through several technological appliances and vials that were surely important, before coming to a stop. The moment he opened his eyes, a large fist filled his entire field of vision.
Flavius' head was hit, and he shot further into the wall, feeling his bones crack as he did so. But that was not the end. Primus was going to make sure and deliver a series of punches and kicks, breaking both of Flavius' arms and finishing it off with another punch to the head.
...
Flavius had allowed this to happen. His curiosity about the genetic creation before him was what led to this. But he wasn't dead, since Belisarius Cawl naturally would want to study him and the abilities he displayed. And most importantly, he would want the genetic material back.
Too bad, Flavius had no interest in giving them anything.
The moment he twitched, Alpha Primus' psychic energy flared to life and held him in place telekinetically. He was about to shoot him in the stomach when a shield of darkness materialised in front of Flavius and swallowed the attacks.
Another portal materialised behind Primus and sent the attacks right back at him.
The explosion sent Primus flying. A series of tendrils made of darkness appeared and wrapped around him before he could recover. Manipulating them, Flavius used them to smash Primus through the room. Into the wall, the ground, and through all the appliances around.
He only stopped when blood dripped out from the armour. Flavius didn't kill him; he didn't want that. But he vented his frustration at being caught off guard.
Another of his portals appeared, and he walked through it before more forces of the Mechanicus could arrive, and things escalated. He had a job to do.
.
Back on Medusa, Flavius unsummoned Obsidian's mask and instead put on Obito Uchiha's, using it to enter the Kamui dimension. He also sucked in the genetic material he just heisted.
Once he was inside, he took off Obito's mask and instead summoned a very special one.
Flavius had already found out that he had to be careful when summoning certain masks and using their powers, since they could have some effects he wasn't very interested in, but others figured it out, like Darth Vader's mask.
Another set of masks he didn't want to just don were the Primarchs' masks.
Donning a mask gave Flavius all of their skills and abilities, and he wasn't certain whether the special souls of the Primarchs would alert Chaos and other powers he didn't want to get the attention of. For example, if he donned the mask of one of the Traitor Primarchs, would they feel it? Would the Chaos Gods not feel it?
Since he didn't have a 100% way of saying no, he couldn't risk it just yet. First, he would have to create contingencies and ways to hide. Also, some loyalist Priamrchs were gone, but not dead, so would they feel it? If so, would that cause some problems with causality?
However, inside the Kamui dimension, Flavius was sure that nothing would happen. It was a separate dimension, tied to his Essence, something beyond a single reality's grasp.
He summoned a raven black helmet, with the number XIX on it. This was the helmet of Corvus Corax, the Primarch of the Raven Guard Space Marine Legion, or now Chapter.
Flavius put on the Power Helmet and felt the effects immediately.
His body started to grow and swell in both stature and power. His soul expanded as did his senses. He could feel his connection to the shadows, the power to go fully invisible and the centuries upon centuries of combat experience.
Why was Flavius interested in this particular Primarch, though?
The reason for this lay in his past and what he had gone through.
During the Horus Heresy, in a battle known as the Dropsite Massacre, Corvus Corax, along with two of his brothers and their Legions, was ambushed, resulting in the slaughter of nearly his entire legion, before he was able to make it back to Terra.
Sensing his son's desperation, the Emperor was able to divert part of his psychic might to grant Corax what he desired. Through a psychic vision, Corax sought a rapid and effective solution to restore his legion's strength. Recognising the righteous intent behind his son's request, the Emperor implanted selected memories into Corax's mind regarding the project to create the Primarchs and the exact location of the ancient laboratory.
However, the Emperor warned that the laboratory was well guarded by a complex system known as "The Labyrinth," and that it would be up to Corax to navigate it. Corax successfully completed this task, and what he obtained was the common genome shared by all Primarchs.
From this genome, the Emperor, through careful selection, created each of the twenty Primarchs, granting each of them distinct and well-defined traits, such as psychic powers or enhanced strength, along with a number of shared abilities, including increased growth rate, regenerative powers, and enhanced intellectual capabilities.
That was what Flavius wanted, that knowledge, because right now, he had exactly what Corax had in those days, the genetic material to not only create Space Marines, but the Primarchs themselves. And the knowledge that the Emperor granted Corax was now accessible to Flavius.
"All right, this is brilliant. Let's get started."
The usual problems presented themselves to Flavius: the lack of additional hands and people to discuss this with him. So he was forced to write down all the information he had about the Emperor's grant to his son.
This took a while, but he made it as understandable as possible because he wanted to view it through the other mask's perspective. This was important, particularly if he wanted to bring in fresh ideas, modifications and improvements.
After hours and hours of work, he was finally finished and took off Corax's helmet.
The feeling of power, height, superiority, purpose and that powerful soul vanished as he took off the helmet. It was a sad feeling for Flavius, but he knew he would create something similar, if not identical, as he wanted to rise above and still keep away from Chaos and their influence.
Once more, Flavius summoned the Shinigami Mask that Orochimaru wore and put it on. The familiar feeling of chakra was once again present, and the knowledge of all the jutsu and the experiments the mad scientist had done to achieve immortality.
It was a brilliant combination, Flavius thought. Because in a way, he sought the same thing right now. Safety from all that could kill him or possess him, or trap him and torture him...
"Shadow Clone Jutsu," Flavius said out loud on purpose.
Four Shadow Clones materialised, and a moment later, Flavius summoned the four masks of Reed Richards, the Maker, Charles Xavier, Herbert Wyndham, a.k.a The High Evolutionary and Thanos.
He felt the weight of their minds and the power they wielded only in theory, then got to work. The clones couldn't move all that much, as they were the glassiest of cannons. Flavius used them purely for their minds and genius minds and nothing else.
With this, he dived into the task of reviewing the notes he had written using Corvus Corax's mask.
It was going to be impressive, to say the least.